Tasting Wine in Cappadocia

A recent autumn, I had been hiking through Cappadocia with a group of friends. Each day we ventured through a different valley, full of mysterious chimneys and ancient hidden cities. From our hostel in Göreme, we saw an ad for “best vineyards in central Turkey.” It seemed the the neighboring town of Uçhisar was as far as we needed to venture.

I hadn’t been familiar with Turkish wines, and so, we went. Full of curiosity, and eager for some repose after camping out the night in a cave (read more about that experience here), we arrived at Argos in Cappadocia. It’s a luxury hotel atop a hill built on the site of an ancient monastery. The architect used clean lines and raw woods in the interior, windows and windowed doorways everywhere to wrap around balconies overlooking the desert-like terrain. The design beautifully contrasts with the ancient stone of the original structure.

Scenes of Hotel Argos

We sipped a complex and full bodied Öküzgözü red wine from the hotel’s own vineyard, made from an Anatolian grape variety. The flavor and maturity was on par with a Bordeaux or Lagrein.

Following our apéro, we dined at SEKi, the onsite restaurant in a cellar wraparound views of Mount Erciyes. It was a delicious culinary delight through fresh and local ingredients sophisticatedly presented.

Argos in Cappadocia is a magical enclave in one of the most unique places in the world and a must-see for anyone hoping to venture that way.